Chevak Meets Juneau!

Sitting on the doorsteps of the Governor's Mansion

View from inside the Juneau-Douglas High School.
Emily and I wearing traditional SE Alaska Native hats.
Beautiful art in JDHS.
Absolutely fabulous! You would need to see this in person to absolutely love it. I think every science teacher would want one in their classroom... but, they are about $200,000.

This has been the theme of the year for me; it keeps coming up in my master's course and in the world in which I live. There is no Yup'ik word for science. However, everything the Alaska Natives traditionally did was science from the way they made their kayaks and kuspuks, and even ikmiq (sp). The fact that there is no word for science says a lot to me... they just DID science... it wasn't something they read about in books. It was survival... it was self-reliance.
Last week my students made Yup'ik masks of their own. Above is a photo of the masks on exhibit in the Juneau museum. Below is a photo of my students and their masks :) Cute.


A traditional kayak. Amazing.
Douglas Island across the way.

Well, Emily and I have made it to the Math and Science Conference in Juneau, AK. We have had an absolutely fabulous time thus far. In all of my years in Alaska (soon to be 25), this is my first visit to our state capital. It is amazing to me how though we are a large state by area, we are small in numbers... it is definitely less than six degrees of separation the more you network! SE Alaska is not only different than the flatland tundra of Chevak, but so different than my hometown of Anchorage, as well. The mountains surround you, and they are so steep. And, the trees decorate the mountains from the bottom to the top. It is absolutely beautiful. Today one of our workshops was on Yup'ik Science at the local museum. It was so cool to see so many artifacts that we could identify with. I was really pleased because our tour guide has been all over AK for the last thirty years so he didn't just know about the Native cultures from books- he had been there so he really KNEW. It was also neat to have lived in a village for two years now and then to be able to identify the artifacts and have personal stories connected with them. This was definitely one of the highlights of the conference so far. Tonight we hope to visit Mendenhall Glacier... I can't wait!

October is Here

Agnes and her honey. Made by Dorothy Nayamin.

October is my absolute favorite month. I love the feeling of fall in the air, and the smell of winter around the corner. It is the month of PFD's (Permanent Fund Dividends), Halloween/fall festivities, and, of course, my birthday! :) This year I will be turning 25.

I have to tell you, 25 seems like I am really "growing up." lol I am very fortunate in that I will be in Anchorage for the evening of my birthday and am able to have a birthday dinner with family and friends... I cannot wait! For someone who loves celebrating birthdays, it is really important to me to spend it making fun memories with people I love. A co-worker and close friend out here, Emily, will be traveling with me which means she will be one of the few of my co-workers to meet my family. This will be fun!

Emily and I will be attending a Math and Science Conference in Juneau prior to my birthday. I have never been to Southeast Alaska, but I am very excited to see this beautiful place. My dad was from SE, born in Wrangell and raised in Craig, so that makes the trip even more exciting to me. Also, I have reviewed the sessions for this conference and there are MANY that are aimed at early childhood education (yay)! I was nervous that there would be more MS and HS workshops, but it looks like there is quite a variety for both Em and I (she is a MS science teacher).

October also marked a new project for me. I am opening my classroom up to my students every Thursday after school for one hour to focus on extra literacy activities. This will include book making, story telling, acting, movies, singing, etc. My theme is "Learning to Love Literacy." It is my goal that I will assist my students in becoming comfortable with reading, and in enjoying it. I really believe that without reading, we are limited in the paths that we can choose in life. And, I really want my kiddos to dream big, and then go after what they want. Hopefully, with this after school project, I will see my students grow even more over time.

This beautiful month also marks the end of first quarter! Before I know it, we will only have three more quarters left of the school year! It is so wild how time flies. As a teacher, there is so much you want to get done with your students... where does the time go?!

Also, hopefully by the end of this month I will find out if I was accepted into UAF's Master's in Cross-Cultural Education program. This is very exciting to me, as I have already begun coursework in this field of study and I absolutely feel that it is perfect for me. Everything that I am asked to read or inquire is directly related to the work I am doing right now. Cross your fingers for me!

Thank you to those of you who are keeping me in your thoughts and keeping up with my journey here in Chevak, and as an educator.

Happy October!

Misty